1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an adjustable steering column assembly for a vehicle.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Vehicles may be equipped with a column jacket for adjusting a position of a steering wheel to enhance the comfort and safety of a user. For example, the column jacket may move in a telescoping direction for moving the steering wheel closer to and away from the user. Also, the column jacket may move in a tilting direction for moving the steering wheel up and down relative to the user. These features cooperate to enable the user to adjust the steering wheel to a desired, convenient position for operating the vehicle and for moving the steering wheel out of the way to provide greater access to getting into and out of the driver's seat of the vehicle.
A first clamping member and a second clamping member are disposed about the column jacket for selectively allowing and preventing movement of the column jacket. A bolt is coupled to the first and second clamping members with a lever coupled to the bolt and moveable between a set position for preventing movement of the column jacket and an adjustable position for allowing movement of the column jacket. A locking device is coupled to the bolt and is moveable between a locked position and an unlocked position during rotation of the lever between the set and adjustable positions, respectively. However, the lever rotation between the set and adjustable positions is large when moving the locking device between the locked and unlocked positions.
Therefore, there remains a need to develop an adjustable steering column assembly that minimizing rotation of a lever between a set position and an adjustable position when moving a locking device between a locked position and an unlocked position, respectively.